THE MEMORIES OF GIBO

Truth is, it is not always heaven on planet earth. The outside world has its monsters ready to devour us if we remain our naïve, oblivious and nonchalant selves.

Today, I commemorate my anniversary with Gibo and the last episode of my monster encounter. I have managed to keep myself safe from harm for the past two years, following a seven-year curse with the Scratchers in the world, being successful at keeping what little possession I have left.  (Hmm, remind me, have I broken a mirror nine years ago? :O)

I have survived, err... still surviving. But I have not gained any superpower. My survival is simply due to the fact that I have not encountered enough Scratchers, or to the reality that I am not yet strong enough for challenges greater than what I have dealt with so far. 

The seven years of exposure to snatchers/hold-uppers/robbers and their amazing strategies simply increased my awareness of the harmful and dangerous world. The whole experience* has activated my innate alarm system – heightened my sensitivity, widened the scope of my consciousness (or lengthen its duration for times when sleepiness fails me), and brought me to an alert state (not to fight but to flee). If ever they cross my path again (hopefully not), I still would not know how to fight. I would just skip to the side and be mum, and try with all my might to be camouflaged. 

Every encounter with the Scratchers brought unique experiences, new lessons, more realizations on reality and a new set of take-care-I-told-you-so reminders. I have been ambushed, affronted, tricked, harassed, held up, hypnotized. I have cried, was shaken to the bones, had been traumatized, and shocked beyond compare. Paranoia has not left me since the very first encounter. It has gone from an unknown feeling to a dormant state easily activated by mobs or a crowd of men riding the same public transportation vehicle with me, or by any dubious appearance which sometimes makes me guilty of judging.

I lost things. 

I lost treasured possessions.

I lost sense of security.

I have shown enough doubt to seem to have lost faith in the innate goodness of a person.

I even lost patience with the Maker for seemingly picking me out of the crowd to be the guinea pig for testing how successful Scratchers are in their various strategies and schemes.

I wanted to fight back. I desired justice so bad that I wished Scratchers to be ill for all eternity. 

I have been a prisoner of the madness caused by successive, successful attempts at forcefully taking away my most-valued belongings. Who wouldn’t be?

But as the common adage expresses, what goes around comes around. So to say, I have gained more than what I lost. I have not fully regained the strength of my safety net yet but I have learned to let go, forgive and forget. Scratchers’ last performance through Gibo was the final straw. I still vividly remember what my mom told me when I arrived home that fateful day. “Ganyan talaga anak, mahirap ang buhay ngayon. Isipin mo na lang, gusto lang din nilang mabuhay. Isipin mo na lang tinulungan mo sila. Tsaka, okey ka naman di ba? Gamit lang yun. Mababawi mo din lahat.” (sigh)

It would have been so hard letting go. It was not so easy digesting what my mom said. But I prayed. I thought hard about things I should be thankful for:

>Because of Gibo, I witnessed how my best friend dropped everything (she was at work during an important event) and rushed to that unknown street corner to rescue me. Her assuring words, her protective hugs, her readiness to act to save me…even the most expensive gadget could not outdo that! 

>Because of Gibo, I was able to refresh the bond with my parents and my family. Normal days would have not made a difference, distressful days rekindled the warmth of care and concern.

>Because of Gibo, I have finally proven that I do not know all. I was a naysayer of gullible people I hear about or see in the news. It thrilled me (seriously) to have been under the strong suggestibility power of the hypnotism of Gibo. It was like “whoa! So it’s true?!”

It was an arduous task all in all. But I was able to go through it. The kind words melted the fury for being chosen again, the hugs erased any hint of the feeling of injustice, the unique experience replaced the pity of self being victimized, the state of being alive overcome the grief over the loss/es.

Yes, the Earth has long ceased to be the Garden of Eden. But truth is, the heart remembers all special moments when goodness made a difference. And for always, goodness triumphs over evil. 

So today, I pray for Gibo and Scratchers, may the love shared with them by others bring them back to the goodies they initially were. Happy anniversary, Gibo! May you be the last one I’ll celebrate such anniversaries for.

Assignment: (for your safety and protection)

>>avoid places where snatching usually happens (only as much as possible)

>>get to know the best practices of Scratchers (and learn from them, not to join them but to beat them)

>>learn the best observed tips for saving self from harm (it all starts with awareness)

BEWARE! Read more...

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*Gibo = the form taken by Scratcher during the last encounter; he was dressed up and looked like Mr. Teodoro

*experience = hold-up + laglag barya gang attempt + budol-budol gang attempt + home robbery + hypnotism + sister's riding-in-tandem experience + sister's jeepney snatcher experience

The CHRONICLEs of a CHOCO MONSTER

Not an addict. Just a fan.

Or should I say, I just favor chocolate over any other flavors.

 

When I woke up today, breakfast with my favorite scrambled eggs was made more complete by hot chocolate. (If you drink hot chocolate in  Spain, you will find it very thick almost like drinking warm pudding)

Knowing that  long day stretches ahead, I went off early to the train station. Backpack in its place, I walked for about a hundred meters to the taxi bay. Chocolate pretzels kept me company. They do so on long trips, or even in short, traffic-laden ones.(in the 17th century, pretzels were known as a marriage knot. During the wedding ceremony, the couple getting married would wish upon a pretzel and break it and then they eat it to signify their oneness.) 

Hunting for goods at the supermarket was made much more rewarding while devouring the "crust,mantle and core" of M&Ms peanuts. (The "m" on m&ms candies were stenciled by hand until WWII labor shortages forced the confectioner to automate the process)

 Taking a break from the assigned tasks, I sat down on one of the mall benches - people-watching. The sight was made more awesome by the smell and taste of freshly-baked chocolate muffins. Yum! (The derivation of the word muffin comes from the French word moufflet which is oftentimes applied to bread and means soft)

I went to the cinema. My much-awaited movie was currently showing. Hmm, what to bring? Raisinets? Aha, brownies! There is nothing more munch-worthy to bring than chocolate brownies. (and yes, no to chocolate-flavored popcorn) (The first brownie made was not actually a brownie. It was a tasty treat sweetened with molasses that we now know as blondie.)

The movie was great - cool visual effects and note-worthy acting. Oops, time to meet up with bestfriend. Ice cream date! Yey! Choco truffles here I come! (The truffle is a small wild mushroom found growing near tree roots in the deepest forests of Framce. Since the chocolate truffle resembles this little mushroom so much, the creators of this masterpiece decided that it should be named after it.)

Finally, time to go home. Time to rest. I drank as much water as I could, brushed my teeth as cleanly as possible, checked sugar level---? just kidding! It was indeed a very long day. I sat infront of the TV set, scanning channels for a worthy scene/show. I got hooked on a travel show, felt the effort of the travelers. Hungry again? I scavenged through the fridge: voila! I still have some choco mousse cake. Take the binge? :-D

What a sweet, sweet day! But it's not all. Just a few more notes to consider:

Scientists reported preliminary evidence recently that cocoa and other chocolates may keep high blood pressure down, your blood flowing and your heart healthy.

sweet satisfaction aside, here's more to chocolate than what meets the sense of taste.

Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables due to flavanoids which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries) (about.com)

Doesn't Chocolate Have a lot of Fat? Learn more on balancing chocolate intake... 

Images from google.com/images ||| Chocolate trivia from google.com

ZERO TOLERANCE

It comes when you feel secured, when you feel good even during stressful hours, when you are happy doing things that make you tired, when everything seems to be going well...the fall, the downpour, the avalanche just happens.

Then you move through time without care or concern. Then you see signs but take no heed. Then you walk, and walk, and walk until you find the perfect hiding place, or until your legs give up. It is like coming from the highest peak on a swing so exhilarated by the thrill of flying and going down to the trough losing not only the motion but also your soul. And you stay there, immobile, lifeless, save for your thoughts and a faint heartbeat, and about 21 grams lighter.

At that time, it will be so easy to lose hope, to give up, to give resting in peace a chance. But you know deep within that you just cannot let go. You have to fight. But you are suddenly weak. The confusion thrashes cognition. It is like wanting to be lost but fearing to be alone. It is like feeling empty and full at the same time.

Then you stop. You ponder upon life's essence. You want to get rid of the details as much and as soon as possible. You focus on the whys and hows, battling over how comes and could have beens. Then you walk, and walk, and walk again. Or you take a ride without even thinking about where to go, who is driving, what next.

At that time, you look far, you look away. You look deep within your thoughts until you get lost in them. Then you look up...to infinity and beyond, not wanting to come back. You take comfort in the white noise brought about by the void. Then you drift away to some place only your unconscious knows the map to. Then you breathe not to survive but to let it all out.


Then the world would stop turning.
And you will be so disoriented you would not even know where to begin.

Some say acceptance is the key. But it will only be such if you have been ready.
Even if you knew, you can never be ready at all times.
In black and white, there are no second  chances.
Zero tolerance. Take it, and leave.